Location

Description

Hotel Lumen, a Kimpton Hotel, brilliantly illuminates your stay in Dallas. Ideally situated across from SMU campus and adjacent to the swanky Social bistro, its chic retro style provides modern comfort that feels fresh and inviting. Located in the affluent Park Cities neighborhood, our luxury boutique hotel is near exceptional shops, restaurants and museums. The hotel is also close to the Dallas World Aquarium, Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas Art Museum and the American Airlines Center.\r\n\r\n

I love this place

from Twinmom98

I love the Hotel Lumen. For the price and the location it can't be beat! Yes, som e of the rooms are small, but that shower can't be beat. I have stayed in large rooms and small rooms and yes, the big rooms are better, but I don't see signs of wear and tear?

Normal usage...

I like it a lot and for the price and the location it can't be beat!

Definitely not a luxury boutique hotel

from TexasAtty

I would not stay at this hotel again. I was in Dallas on business and looking for a hotel between the Galleria area and downtown. The location is good. But, the walls are paper thin. I could hear everything in the rooms next door to me- phone conversations, bathroom, etc.. You can hear every door shut even down the hall. The room itself was not inviting or warm. The walls are bare and an out of date white color. The rooms are very small- not even enough room to pull out your chair from the desk and sit comfortably. The hotel is fairly new and already has signs of serious wear and tear. There is no real restaurant. The restaurant they have is open for dinner only. They serve a continental breakfast in the small lobby in the morning (for a price). Defintiely not the luxury boutique hotel they claim to be. I was extremely disappointed.

Great find around SMU

from FLcs

I was in the Dallas area on business and decided to stay near SMU because I like the Highland/University Park area of the city. I was impressed with the hotel website, and found a really cheap rate on an obscure website unrelated to the hotel, so it worked out pretty nicely.

The website doesn't do the hotel justice. As you walk in, you immediately notice that style was key in the design/redesign of this hotel. Apparently it used to be a ramada. You would never have a clue. The staff does sit at chairs during check in and there are two chairs for you to sit at as well. Why in the world would people write that it made the staff seem lazy? It just seems smart to me. That being said, I received adequate service at check in that while professional, lacked any warmth or friendliness. That's fine with me though.

I booked a lux suite, which are all located on their fourth floor. There are four sets of three and each seems to have a different configuration. All but two seem to have balconies. And four of the twelve have bath tubs (mine did) and the tubs seem more like small swimming pools in their own seperate room (a very nice touch, and one that I longed for my partner to share with, though I was on business alone).

Overall, the suite was very nice. It was lacking a few things, however. Because of these things, I gave this hotel four instead of five stars. Here they are. The "kitchen" came with a full size refrigerator (very nice), a sink, microwave (very nice) and plenty of cupboards. It did not come with a light, silverware, condiments, plates, or anything else one would find in a kitchen. Are you supposed to bring your own plates? That's odd. Also, there was no wastebaket except for in the bathroom. Where do I put my garbage? I made my own with a plastic bag. And what's up with no light? It's also just a part of the living room, which I thought was weird and ugly. Obviously, the kitchen didn't do it for me. Also, they should have hung up another piece of art to make it a little more decorated. There was one piece that hung in the entire suite. Bleh...more art or something on the walls, please. And finally, the balcony had very cheap furniture. Although it overlooked a parking lot, the neighborhoods beyond were nice to look at and SMU was across the street.

Now for the good. The TV was a plasma on the wall and got tons of channels with good reception (though not HD). All the lights were on dimmers making mood lighting available. The bed was very comfortable and the closet space immense. The style of the room, other than the kitchen, was well done. The balcony allowing you to step out for fresh air was great. The neighborhood was fantastic, being across from beautiful SMU and being within beautiful University Park. It was walking distance to a row of restaurants and shops.

The shower was fantastic...amazing how powerful those three body jets were, and great how you could position them however you liked. There was shampoo and gel in containers mounted on the shower wall, but also extra amenities such as conditioner by aveda placed on the bathroom counter.

The bathroom had a heavy door to the right that opened onto the toilet and a huge soaking tub (no jets). It was very deep and was like a small swimming pool with just myself in it. There was no dimmer on the light in this room, which I found odd since this room would certainly benefit from mood lighting.

I ordered room service with mixed results. The staff were incredibly rude...without a doubt the rudest staff I have ever encountered for room service. Apparently, I was supposed to kiss their --- for them speaking to me. While initially this really ticked me off, I saw the manager of the restaurant later who was very nice, so who knows. I would never eat there again though. The food sounded great on the menu...really great. Maybe that was the problem, maybe I had gotten too excited for a relaxing meal after a long day only to be met with incredibly rude service and an incredibly mediocure, borderline disgusting meal. Well, not disgusting. I ordered the damn good fries, which were pretty darn good; the calamari which was too greasy but okay; and the portabella stuffed with three cheeses served with a tomato fondue, a complete joke of an entree. The main entree was inedible, and the rice that came with it had hard chunks in it. Gross. I felt like I paid $45 too much for dinner and to top it off, got spit on with the service.

You would think that I would have rated the hotel much lower, but I really enjoyed the sense of style here. Checkout was easy, although their computers were malfunctioning so I couldn't get directions to the airport. That being said, the checkout person was incredibly friendly and devoid of any attitude whatsoever.

I found it of little annoyance to only have valet parking, and the valet guys were always nice and professional. I have to admit, however, that I always like it when hotels allow self parking as well.

Even despite its lapses, I would highly recommend staying here.

Great Location

from cecomp76

I booked the Hotel Lumen because of its great location in the Park Cities area and because of its small, "boutique hotel" size. Overall, I have no major complaints about my stay. It is certainly very different from any hotel I have stayed at previously.

The picture that you see at the top of the TripAdvisor page is exactly how my room looked, except for the large window shown. The sheer cutain that you see is what "separates" the bed from the shower. I second the other review which cautioned about sharing a room with a friend or relative who you wouldn't want seeing you naked in the shower - there is no privacy (backlit shower, glass shower door, sheer curtain).

The other reviews mentioned some problems, which I noted were taken care of on my stay. Now, at least, there is a full length mirror, towel racks - and hair conditioner (which I didn't need, but others noted missing) so no complaints there. The three additional jets in the shower were very nice, as well as the large shower.

My main complaint was the lighting. The room's design is very urban and sparce, but traveling on business and needing to do some work, the first thing I did was go around the room and flip every light switch available. Even with all the lights on, the room was very dark. My room's window was MUCH smaller than the one shown on the picture above, and only had one shade on it (no sheers). So with all the construction workers outside my window, I couldn't even let in natural light to make it a little brighter. Same with the hallways in the hotel. I get the urban design and it was very "cool," but still dark.

Nice things about the hotel: the reservation desk staff as well as the valet staff were very nice and accommodating. They have a wine happy hour in the lobby in the evening, and coffee and tea out in the morning (which was very good). The bed and pillows were sooooo comfortable. And, again, the shower was great.

I would probably stay here again based on the location alone. I liked not having to deal with highways, I liked being in the great SMU/University Park/Highland Park area, and so close to Love Field - it was close to my business stuff and also close to great food and shopping. Again, the hotel staff was super (I do not care whether they are standing or sitting at the front desk, as long as they are courteous and helpful - and they were.)

Overall, not an "amazing" or "fantastic" hotel, but I did have a pleasant stay there and would probably recommend it to someone for the reasons above, cautioning about the shower and lighting.

Wasn't impressed.....

from Runner33

We went to the Hotel Lumen for business purposes and we were not all that impressed. Iron and ironing board are not in your room, as you must request them from the front desk. I received mine after my second night there and after I requested it twice. As another review stated, there is no full length mirror. I showered at night and in the morning and the water was slightly warm at best. However, my coworkers said that their temperature was fine so there might be an issue in just one part of the building. This prevented me from enjoying the nice jets in the shower which I know I would have enjoyed. They put a plum out at night with a bottle of Ozarka which is a nice, unique touch. I also had a problem with service as I had to stand there and wait a couple of minutes for an employee to finish telling a joke to another employee before I could check out. They also stay seated while helping you which I felt uncomfortable with as you are not on their level while speaking to them. To me this gives an attitude of laziness. Big note before you go. The shower and the bedroom are basically in the same room. There is no way to build privacy between these two rooms so I suggest you not share with someone that you wouldn't want to have see you without your clothes on.

Overall I was disappointed. However, I believe that their "Grand Opening" will be held in September so maybe they will have some of these kinks worked out before then. Overall not a business-traveler friendly hotel.

Amazing place for the price!!!

from warrigals

My husband and I chose this hotel for a vacation to Dallas. We wanted a pet-friendly, NON-highrise hotel in an upscale area that was pleasant to walk in. This is directly across the street from SMU and adjacent to beautiful residential neighborhoods full of $700K+ homes. We weren't sure what to expect as they had JUST opened shortly before our arrival and the price we paid per night was $134.

Everything certainly exceeded our expectations. The rooms are beautifully appointed, and the staff was very attentive and helpful. I loved the modern, clean, but warm and earthy decor - MUCH more chic and aesthetically pleasing than your typical sterile, corporate Hilton, IMO.

The shower was wonderful - love the body jets and the fact that it's big enough for two. Of course, sometimes it was hard to get in the shower without getting the floor wet. I also liked the shampoo, conditioner and soap they provide - reminded me of Aveda or other natural products.

They were WONDERFUL to our dog. We have a 40lb well-behaved dog, and they were extremely accomodating, even providing a large, high quality dog bed, a stainless water bowl and a pig ear! They allowed us to leave her crated in the room when we went out, which was nice - some hotels don't allow that.

We went to their restaurant the night it opened for the very first time. I'm glad we got to try it - it was good. The Mac n Cheese was the most unique item on the menu - sounds low brow but it was quite good, if a little salty. They hadn't worked out the kinks enough for a full-on room service menu, but they would have given us whatever we wanted. It was that type of hotel - small enough to really accomodate individual requests.

We LOVED our stay there - an extremely comfortable place, ESPECIALLY if you have a dog. The neighborhood could not be more perfect for dog owners. We run with ours a lot every day, and we could easily take a short, scenic run through the neighborhood, past the countryclub, to Highland Park Village (where they have Chanel, Hermes and Jimmy Choo boutiques)and have Starbucks in the morning.

I highly recommend this boutique hotel, ESPECIALLY if you can get a rate like $135/night - far and above simliarly priced hotels we've stayed at in the past!!!

Different but Nice

from anonymous

Be ready for an experience out of the ordinary. This European inspired hotel is nice but I can't understand what they are trying to be. The place is not warm or inviting but if you like minimal dark places stay here. The room configuration is challenging but the bed and linens are nice and the shower is the best reason to stay. The wall mounted flat screen television was nice too. But it is too dark in this place. The vanity lights and the bedside reading lights are slightly brighter than a full moon and the outside window leaves the impression of being in an institution (prison, asylum) so leave the shade down. The front desk staff remains seated during check-in and is less than enthusiastic. The hotel resturant is good but not great. Prices were reasonable but the drinks from the bar were awful. Order beer or wine. I would stay here again because of the location but it isn't a romantic getaway spot.

Diamond in the rough

from anonymous

I stayed with my wife, two kids and a buddy plus his family. We stayed in a block of 3 rooms that all connected with one door. It made it great because we never had to close all the doors except the master door. The rooms were sold as individual rooms but they found away to make the stay that much better. The bathrooms were large and the showers were great (my wife took a 45 minute shower with the body jets). My wife and I both used the mirror to get ready and yes I did shave with NO problem. The beds are great and the down pillows almost came home with my wife. The kids loved the free move selection and the big plasma TVs. 2 out of the 3 rooms had balconies and we had a great continental breakfast with the sliding glass door sled all the way open. We could walk to fast food restaurants but why when you can get some of the best food in Dallas at Social Restaurant on the first floor. We were so impressed that the Chef actually came out to see how our meal was. WOW!!

No Value

from anonymous

The modern design is nice but is left lacking for overall quality. No towel bar (throw it on the floor?). No conditioner, lotion, mouthwash. Only shampoo and body wash. Towels are fairly cheap, the same quality as Motel 6. No full length mirror to check your appearance. Small vanity mirror so small and badly lit you cannot apply makeup or really tell how your hair looks. A man would be afriad to shave in such conditions for fear of slitting his own throut. I requested a makeup mirror with light and several hours later they dropped off a 5 inch dollar store style travel mirror with no light. The water closet was so small you had to climb over the toilet to get behind the door to shut it. If I weighed more than 115 pounds I would be forced to leave the door open. No minibar, refrigerator, or ice machine. Unworking elevator. Forced fee for valet when unnecessary. Since we had to walk down the stairs because of the elevator, we had to leave the building and reenter through the parking lot. Then walk past our car, walk through the lobby, wait for the valet to pretend to be fetching our car for ten minutes when it was 15 feet away around the corner. No hot water, after leaving it run for over twenty minutes the shower was barely lukewarm. We checked out early and went to the Magnolia for everything we would like, a room nearly double in space, and more for $50 a night less.

... Now she will say "uh-ewww." Quite amusing. 9. High chair - We swear she wakes up some mornings and says "high chair." 10. Hi-ya and Bye bye - She has been saying this for quite a while. Very sweet to hear that little voice and the drawn out words. Very Texan!

I am sure I have left out quite a bit of stuff that she has picked up on, but those are the ones most memorable to me. We are so proud of how much she has grown! ...

Our first stop on the road to South America was an overnight in Dallas, Texas on Spencer's B-day. So, I scouted out a famous BBQ place that was close to the airport and our hotel - Hard Eight Texas BBQ was it! We ordered a tray of meat - seriously. We chose a sampler tray of different meat including; beef brisket, chicken jalapeno poppers, spicy sausage, and some beef skewers plus we added corn on the cobb. Everyone's favorite was the beef ...

... He thought it was important for life to go on and for people to be strong so by not canceling the World Series, it would give everyone hope to not be afraid and show our enemies that we had not been defeated. Security was tight and they even had a Secret Service Agent dressed up as an umpire. He had all sorts of weapons on him and the head umpire told him he couldn't go on the field with any of that showing. ...

... and takeout places were closed. So we decided to skip dinner (the theme of our trip it seemed like) and just call it a night. I also decided that we should just stay in the hotel tomorrow, as we would be too rushed to explore anything, since the Metro would take an hour to get to Downtown Dallas. I decided it would work out since I needed to sleep off the jetlag anyways, before my next trip. With that decided, I tucked myself back into bed and promptly fell fast asleep. ...